LIFE-SAVING IMMUNOTHERAPY FOR CANCER PATIENTS

Oktay Aslantas started this petition to Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP

We are petitioning the 'Department of Health and Social Care' to fund the Immunotherapy treatment of every cancer patient who has exhausted all treatment options currently available on the NHS.

Further, explore ways to offer Immunotherapy as early as possible. And ultimately, make Immunotherapy treatmentstandard of cancer care on the NHS for as many types of cancer as possible.

This treatment has proven to be the difference between life and death for many. As it has been for her:

Gemma Nuttall. She is fighting metastatic ovarian cancer. It was first discovered while she was pregnant in 2014. She saved her unborn baby’s life by refusing a recommended termination. The tumour on her ovary was only removed after her beautiful baby girl Penelope was born safe and sound. She is now a healthy four-year-old :) But Gemma's cancer kept coming back: to her cervix, to her lungs and multiple times to her brain. Each time more aggressive. She underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy countless times.

In March 2017 Gemma had a massive seizure. The outcome of a brain scan was devastating: many more brain tumours were found. She endured ten days of very risky Whole-brain radiotherapy. Doctors on the NHS said her cancer was incurable and not treatable. She was put on end-of-life care and given only a few months to live.

But Gemma and her family refused to give up. There was still treatment waiting:

Immunotherapy - a revolution in cancer medicine which enables the body’s immune system to recognise and kill cancer cells. It brings the disease under control for a much longer time - which means it can prolong lives considerably. It has much fewer side-effects than chemotherapy. It has even seen cancers diagnosed as incurable, put into complete remission.

But it's not available in the UK for most types of cancer.

As a result, patients in need are completely on their own and somehow have to carry the financial burden of the treatment themselves – which is an impossible task.

A private oncology clinic in Germany has specialized itself on Immunotherapy. It is a target for many.

Luckily, none other than KateWinslet found out about Gemma. With her incredible help and support Gemma's family raised over 300,000 Pounds.

The money enabled Gemma to go to Germany regularly and incredibly the Immunotherapy treatment was a complete success! Full body scans and MRI head scans came back clear!